Yang Zicang caught the scent of tobacco from the old man.
Noticing his gaze, the old man nodded to him. “Going into the city too? Here on a sightseeing trip? “
“What makes you think I’m not a local? “
“Haha, take a look at these people’s skin — everyone is grimy from years of coal dust settling on them. “
“Fair point. “
As the two chatted casually while walking forward, the earlier farm woman wearing a headscarf had already led the young man and another person who wanted to take the special passage. The three hurried through the slightly crowded flow of people, heading toward the front of the line about twenty paces ahead.
Yang Zicang casually observed their plan, and unexpectedly, when they arrived, two people already in line stepped aside, allowing the duo to take their places.
“……“
So that was their special trick.
The checkpoint staff conducting the inspection turned a blind eye to this situation, as if it were tacitly accepted.
Witnessing this, Yang Zicang slowed his steps.
“Not going to line up? ” the older man, who had walked ahead a few steps, turned back to ask. “It’ll only get more crowded. “
“Heh, you go on ahead. I just remembered I have something to take care of. “
With that, Yang Zicang headed toward the woman who had collected payment and was walking away.
The farm woman, having let several people through, spotted Yang Zicang approaching her. Her face immediately lit up with joy as she stepped forward to meet him. “Young brother, need to rush for time? “
Yang Zicang drew close to her, pulled five silver coins directly from inside his coat, and placed them all into her palm, much to her astonished gaze.
“This… elder sister, I’d like to ask you to help me contact the person in charge of the checkpoint. This is your payment. “
“What? You’re— ” The farm woman was clearly startled by the shock, and immediately pushed the coins back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. “
“I’ll give them another compensation, so rest assured. I’m just trying to find a thief who stole something from me—he might have slipped into this city.” Yang Zicang paused, then added in a seemingly casual tone, “If you’re not willing, I can handle it myself and talk to them.“
“This…” The peasant woman hesitated for a moment, glancing at the busy inspection station under the gate, where several supervisors in light yellow gown-like uniforms, with brown wide belts tightly fastened around their waists, were hard at work. “Alright, I’ll go speak for you. But how much are you planning to…“
“Heh, that’s up to you.” Yang Zicang pushed the price back to the peasant woman with a shrug.
“Ah, well…” The peasant woman hadn’t expected such good fortune so early in the morning. “Wait here,” she said, stashing the money away and turning to hurry over quickly. Yang Zicang waited in place, letting the busy stream of passersby rush and weave past him.
Not long after, he looked up and saw the peasant woman speaking to a man with a slightly rogue-ish demeanor; guided by her gesture, the man turned his head to look over. Yang Zicang nodded slightly from afar as a greeting.
……
“Who are you looking for?“
Yang Zicang sat in a small room with a desk beside the inspection station. The named station chief, Balt, was grinning cheerfully, crossing his legs behind the desk, twirling a long pencil he’d picked up from the table.
“Here’s some information on his height, but he might have applied makeup. Also, he possesses… some special abilities.“
Yang Zicang handed over a piece of paper. Before even looking at the data on it, the smile on the checkpoint chief’s face froze, and he said, “Damn it, who do you want me to keep an eye on—one of the Fogfolk? “
Yang Zicang turned his head to glance through the window at the crowd outside, then faced him again and said, “Ah-hmm~ Yes. This person has some illusion-casting abilities; other than that, there’s nothing else to be concerned about. I just need to know he’s around. “
“And you call that nothing! ” The man shot up from behind the desk, a fierce, malicious grin plastered on his face. “You think a paltry forty Silver Coins is enough to make me risk that much… “
“One hundred. “
Yang Zicang raised a finger and said, “This is to compensate for the trouble, Mr. Balta. Additionally, I’ll give each participant an extra Silver Coin as compensation. No upper limit, but this only applies for these two days. “
“I… ” Balta’s face could no longer hold its harshness, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. Though he didn’t rely on his salary, even a whole year’s pay didn’t amount to that much.
He felt a twinge of unease and lowered his voice, “Brother, what the hell did this miserable bastard steal from you to be worth all this… ” He rubbed his fingers together.
“Well, let’s just say he stole some of our groundbreaking scientific and technological materials. “
“Sss~ ” The checkpoint chief sucked in a sharp breath, swearing under it. “Bloody hell, I knew it. One of those Fogfolk, he… wait. ” The man took a closer look at Yang Zicang’s ear ridge. Swallowing the rest of his questions, he knitted his brow in deep thought.
“Fogfolk generally don’t lay hands on the natives — you should be aware of that. Besides, if you feel it’s not quite right to help me out on this, I can head into the city myself to find someone. I figure a few tens of thousands of silver coins spread around will be enough to get someone willing to take the job, or even bring him right to my doorstep. “
Bartfelt an almost unreal sense of extravagance emanating from the young man before him.
He squinted, scrutinizing him closely.
Yang Zicang really wanted to pull out that check he’d exchanged with Hailikoni and slap it on the table in front of him, but after all, it was from the Black Intelligence Bank.
Sensing the suspicion hanging in the air, Yang Zicang cleared his throat lightly, pondering how he could prove he truly had that kind of capital at this moment. After all, the more than six hundred thousand silver coins that District Liaison Officer Schmidt had allocated to him were all stashed away in his rented land.
“You’re a Fogfolk, right? ” Barta mused for a moment, then chuckled softly. “Looking for someone is nothing special. It’s not like I’m the type to take a hundred silver coins from you for no reason. “
“Oh? ” Yang Zicang looked a bit surprised.
-｛Distributor Loki Tata Mingqi gazes intently at the supporting character in my current life story.｝
“How about this, sir? Show me proof of your Fogfolk identity, and then… I’ll introduce you to a job, how does that sound? “
“Huh? “
“Haha, don’t worry about that, ” Bart said, rubbing his hands together as he walked out from behind the desk, offering a mild smile. “You don’t need to come to work. All I need is for you to sign a document to collect my salary from the leased land on my behalf, and provide a side imprint of that identification certificate of yours. What do you say? “
Yang Zicang’s brow arched slightly. He should have figured—a guy like this, who’d skim even a cut from the queue-jumping fee, would never leave a blatant weak point exposed. He glanced again at the crowd outside the glass.
“Alright, let’s do it your way, Station Chief. “
An eager light instantly flashed in Bart’s eyes. He couldn’t wait to pull a document from the drawer, grab a fountain pen, and start writing on it.
“As for that grand gesture of compensating each staff member with a Silver Coin… Ha, ” Bart said with a pained grimace, “that kind of job is just a matter of a word. No need for you brother to pay any extra expenses. You Fogfolk don’t have it easy earning money. “
Yang Zicang replied with a gritted-teeth smile. This guy…
Watching him scribble away, he did possess a certain air of someone who’d received a decent education. It seemed that quite a few people must have their eyes on this cushy position.
“Krostiten West City Checkpoint Contract for Hiring Senior Fogfolk Experts to Assist in Optimizing Inspection Workflow “
“Krostiten West City Checkpoint Contract for Hiring Senior Fogfolk Experts to Assist in Supplemental Security Inspection Work “
“Krostiten West City Checkpoint Contract for Hiring Senior Fogfolk Experts to Assist in Developing Specialized Training and Anti-Riot Simulation Exercises for Inspection Work “
“… ” Yang Zicang sighed deeply after affixing the alias “Ziegler ” after the dates on three files consecutively.
Bart rushed off with the stamped documents, frantically summoning a trusted aide to expedite the delivery to the Fogfolk rental area east of the city. He knew full well that any Fogfolk name was unreliable—people only recognized the stamp.
“From now until the fifteenth, for these seven days, our checkpoint will conduct quarterly assessment drills. Keep your spirits sharp… “
Yang Zicang could hear Bart’s grating voice echoing in the ears of the team members.
Before long, that shady rogue of a man returned.
“Chief Bart, under these circumstances, how long do you think it might take to find the person I’m looking for? “
Yang Zicang wasn’t sure Lu Yang would actually come here, but if this man’s goal was to generate Radiance, then venturing deep into the dragon’s den or tiger’s lair would be his best bet.
“Based on your description, there’s no train station for dozens of kilometers ahead. So if he enters the city from this direction, he’s bound to pass through our West City Checkpoint. Relax, I know this stuff inside and out. “
That was all he could do. Having finished everything, Yang Zicang started to feel a nervous anticipation.
Seeing the Fogfolk man like this, Bart smirked with confidence and patted him on the shoulder:
“In my experience, these young lads who’ve just pulled off a big job always try to repeatedly confirm that they’re truly safe before heading to their next destination. So I reckon even if he does come this way, it’ll be a while before he actually enters the city. By the way, how about we grab some lunch together, my dear expert? “
“No need for that. I was wondering, Mr. Bart, do you know of any place that might be suitable for processing these materials? “
“Ha, you’ve come to the right person. “
Bart strode over steadily, picked up the long pencil from the table, and pointed at the local city map on the wall—a pale red line drawing on a gray-white background.
“The ‘Muse Salon Reading Room’ right here is our most famous trading spot, and there’s also the ‘Golden Key Mortgage & Redemption Company’ on Seventh Avenue. If it were me, I’d choose this one. “
The man put the pencil down. “Go ahead and take care of your business. If anyone suspicious pops up, I’ll have my men keep a close eye on it. Mm, if you have a companion, you could have him wait here. “
There was no one else, of course. Yang Zicang borrowed Bart’s pen and paper before taking his leave for now. As he left, this station chief gave him a short-term entry permit for the city. With this thing, theoretically, he could cut straight through special procedures and get priority inspection.
……
First, he arrived at the Muse Salon Reading Room. Sitting in the car, Yang Zicang looked at its tightly shut, somber gate. Peeking through the cracks, he saw it was empty inside, as if it had been thoroughly ransacked.
“Take me to Seventh Avenue. “
“Yes, sir. “
Inside the Golden Key Pawnbroking and Redemption Company, the decor was filled with an air of luxury that starkly contrasted with the gray, gloomy street outside.
Yang Zicang pushed the door open, and the small bell above the lintel let out a crisp but restrained ding-dong. A low-hanging brass chandelier hung in the center of the room; he crossed the thick carpet and arrived before a polished, dark walnut counter.
But the place was still deserted at the moment, with only the boss—a man in his fifties sporting a tortoiseshell glasses and a gray-black suit—and a staff member inside.
Seeing Yang Zicang’s steady figure approaching, the boss stood up, rested his hands on the counter, and said with a smile, “Sir, are you here to browse, or do you need help with an appraisal? “
“I want to know if anyone came in today to sell a valuable piece of information. “
With that, Yang Zicang, leaning against the counter, directly removed his two pointed ears, revealing the scarred flesh underneath from burns.
The boss gave a faint smile. “It seems this gentleman from the Mistfolk is well acquainted with our deeper services. However… recently, we’ve stopped taking business in that area. Apologies. “
“Oh? ” Yang Zicang’s brow twitched slightly. “The Muse Salon reading room is already empty. There couldn’t be something going on here, could there? “
“What? “
It was clear the man before him didn’t know about this yet. “Is that true? Everything was fine just yesterday. “
Yang Zicang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
“Sorry. “
He swiftly turned around and strode rapidly toward the door, breaking into a run as he went. The car that had brought him was still there when he got outside, and he considered using the business card to rush over.
-｛Distributor May·Valkyrie watches me amidst this glorious prelude.｝
“Damn it… “
Yang Zicang let out a breath. He seemed to have been duped by some distributor sitting in a lighthouse.
Grumbling inwardly about that reply— “the Mind Reading Worm, one of the Five Treasures of the Moon Realm, only works on fellow Moon People “—he abandoned the idea of traveling via Aether, strode down the steps, yanked open the car door, and slid inside.
“Quick, take me back to the reading room of Muse Salon. “
“Eh, sir, you—oh, okay. Hold on tight. “
With that, the driver twisted the key of the car, which had just stalled after a sudden brake. Click, click, click…
After several twists, Yang Zicang grabbed his forehead with both hands; as his hands reached his face, the old clunker finally wheezed back to life with a “vroom vroom. “
“Sir, will you be coming back later? “
“Not sure. “
“Alright, then I’ll wait outside for a bit. “
“Suit yourself. ” But then he thought of the possible danger, so just as the driver’s face lit up with joy, he added, “On second thought, forget it. Just get as far away from here as you can. “
“Uh… sir, cars these days are all like this. If you let off the gas too quickly, they might stall. “
“I know. Just drive well—don’t be nervous, and speed up. “
Eventually, amid the curses of a few startled passersby, Yang Zicang tossed out a Silver Coin, leaped from the car, and turned his gaze toward the tightly shut, desolate grand door of the Muse Salon Reading Room.
｛I activate “Silent Night. “｝
A mental, vital wave radiated outward from Yang Zicang, spreading along the ground toward the street, stone steps, plants and flowers, as well as the deep, imposing door ahead.
A faint, one-layered obstruction covered the surface of the looming door. After a careful probe, Yang Zicang sensed a trace of Stellar Yuan fluctuation within the intricate texture.
“A Third Ring person? “
Yang Zicang pulled off his silk scarf and reached for the key.
“Shouldn’t get any Radiance the second time, tsk… heh. I’ve somehow become just like Wager, haven’t I? “
He placed his hand over the door’s lock and gave a violent jolt.
BAM!
As if it had been sealed shut for days, the silent door burst open under the loud crash. Sunlight poured in, and matching this vibration, the empty atmosphere inside whooshed into life, faint traces of voices—once unheard—rippled out from the air like clear murmurs.
A faint tune, the “Second Waltz, ” drifted out from beside the bar at the far end of the black-and-white tiled floor.
“Who’s there? ” From next to the bar, a man turned toward the doorway; his gaze sharpened, eyebrows knitting together. “A countryman from Foggy Borough? “
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